For many years people have attempted to achieve a shelf stable, nutrient fortified cereal based food which has the flexibility of being shaped and flavored to allow confirmation to a wide variety of ethnic eating habits. Such a product if successfully achieved, would offer tremendous potential for diet supplementation, particularly in the poverty areas of the world.
Food products from countries such as the United States having excesses of cereal grains are a highly likely candidate for achieving the "universal cereal food product goal". However, as is well known, there is more of a problem than simply providing an available food product.
The eating habits in various countries, and even in various parts of countries, differ considerably. For example, in some parts of the world, rice is a staple, others soybeans, others corn, others meat, and still others fish. In each of these ethnic areas, in spite of a real and continuing nutritional need, the people are reluctant to use a food product which does not conform to their indigenous lifestyle. Thus, for example, in some countries where the people are totally familiar with rice as a staple of their diet, the people will not willingly and readily accept other cereal based foods, in spite of their nutritional value. They desire the look, taste, feel and shape of rice. Likewise, where fish is the important staple of the diet, anything else is not readily accepted. And so it goes.
It can be seen that while there is a continuing need for nutrition, there is also a necessity to conform to the indigenous lifestyle eating habits.
This invention has as its primary objective the development of a cereal based food product which has long shelf life so that it can be shipped and be stable for up to one year after shipment, which is nutrient fortified to provide a U.S. recommended daily allowance of minerals and vitamins, and which desirably has the flexibilty to allow conformation of shape, form and flavor to a variety of ethnic habits.
Importantly, another objective of the invention is to provide a cereal based food which can be made from a combination of corn and soybeans, both grains which are in substantial excess in the United States.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a cereal based food product which is "over fortified" so that there is a built-in compensation for nutrient and mineral loss during cooking. As a result, the end product after cooking still contains the U.S. recommended daily allowance minimum requirements.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a product which in spite of its high soybean content, does not have the characteristic soy or beany bitter flavor, but in contrast, can be flavored as desired.
A still further objective of the present invention is to prepare a product which is made from a mixture of corn and soybeans, with the whole kernel and the whole soybean being utilized, that is, without dehulling, degerming, or defatting.
Other objectives will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows.